Blog Reviews 3

I visited Alaska Blogger, AkGirl, and A Room Full of Empty Chairs.

Alaska Blogger has a really good look to it.  I really like the choice of background and the font that they used in their writing.  It is unique and looks really good.

AkGirl has a really awesome background as well.  It is probably my favorite background throughout all of the blogs I've seen.  Since part of the stuff in front of the background is transparent, you can really get a good feel for the page.

A Room Full of Empty Chairs has a really interesting name.  I really like how the header of the page is really big, it gets the point across.  I also enjoy the comedy that comes with it.

Prison Poetry

Shallow Dark
By: Martin Williams

In the shallow dark
Confessing emptiness
To the emptiness
Afraid
That m life has meaning;
For then my sins
have meaning
My good
Has meaning, and who
Carrying the weight
Of a significant life
Wouldn't rather choose
The stillness of a tree
Surrendered perfectly
To life's slow law?

Click here for picture.

Now What?

        As January 16 approaches every day, I'm not going to change the way I do or think of things when I am doing Creative Writing related activities. This year has been really strange through the course of events. I wish Mr. Good could stay with us for the rest of the year because I believe he is a good teacher, even though he doesn't have a literature background. As a teacher coming out of retirement to help teach our class when we didn't have anyone else to, he has done a great job. When the time comes when we get a new teacher for the rest of the year, I will be ready for it. I would prefer not to change teachers for a second time this year, but if that is what needs to be done, so be it. I am sure that whoever replaces Mr. Good will be a very good teacher, and hope that they will have the same likable personality as he does.

Click here for picture.

Blog Reviews 2

I visited Peanut boy, Paperclips and Applesauce, and Blogger907's Blogs.

Peanut boy has a very basic layout to his blog, but it fits perfectly. The content of his blog is really portrayed through the simple background.

Paperclips and Applesauce stood out to me visually. As soon as the page loaded I wanted to check it out because of the green background. But it isn't all visual, the content is very in depth and has meaning to it.

Blogger907 also has a basic layout, but with a little more detail and color. The color choices for the background and fonts really fit their specific blog. It looks very well done.

wRite a Riff (The R is supposed to be capitalized)

This riff is a fast write prompt we did in class. Brenden's blog has the other perspective to this story because we did two different sides of an event. Enjoy.

I have no friends, all I have is my chair. "What are you looking at?" I think to myself as the janitor stares while he walks by. "I don't see you with a cool chair like mine." This used to be a desk, but I failed school, and there are no super heros with desks. I sit here. Sit here pondering if I shouldn't have dropped out of medical school.
I met my soul mate there, she had a cloak. She went bald. I loved her. I remember how we met. I was sitting at my desk in the library. I took my desk everywhere, to class, home, to the bathroom. Anyways, I was at my desk, she was in the corner trying to make me think she was reading comics books when she was actually staring at me. We locked eyes for the longest three hours 15 minutes of my life.
I saw her every Saturday in the library. We had the best relationship; we never argued. But one day, someone started pulling out her hair. I broke off the top of my desk and at a full sprint, leaped into a fatal blow.
The man died instantly. The cops beat me and dragged me off the campus. I looked back as she was glueing the hair back into her head. She only ever heard me say one thing and that was "f**k!", because of the many night sticks, raping me.

Click for picture.

Blog Reviews

I visited Lorance, ABC, and  The Third Eye Is The Clearest.

Lorance looks very professional.  I really like the way it is laid out.  The posting section sticks out in particular because of the color scheme.

ABC has a unique feel to it.  It is simple, but fun.  It's background really stands out, and changes your perspective on the blog as a whole.

The Third Eye Is The Clearest is most colorful blog I've seen so far.  On top of that, the content is in depth and creative.

Remember

April 16^th, 1999, Wayne Gretzky, the greatest person to ever put on a pair of skates retired from the National Hockey League.  After countless seasons of breaking records, attending and playing in the NHL All-Star game, and winning the Stanley Cup, the Great One retired.  His retirement speech spoke not only for him, but for every great player to ever retire from the game.  No player will ever have the skills and abilities he possessed, and will never be as effective on the ice.

Click here for link to picture.

Wayne Gretzky's Retirement Speech:

''As professional as hockey is and professional sports is, we have highs and we have lows and in life it seems to be the general feeling that, unfortunately, sometimes you go to funerals and, fortunately, sometimes you get to go weddings and fun parties. And to me, this a party. This is a celebration and (I) hope that everyone understands that I look upon these next few days as something to really enjoy.

''It's obvious that today I have officially retired. Sunday will be my last game. For the last couple of weeks, a lot of people have been asking me why this is the time. It's a gut feel, something I really believe is right. I love the game and I love to play.

''Gordie Howe told me the other day he still loves to play and he's playing in charity games and he's 70 years old. Whether it's now, next year or 20 years from now, I'm also going to miss the National Hockey League and the game of hockey.

''It's tough, it's hard, it's going to be a big change for me, but a challenge and change that I look forward to in the future. I said this to many people, many times that everything I have in my life I owe to the National Hockey League and the game of hockey. It brought me endless moments and memories and great times.

''It's a game, but it's something we all love to do. We go every day to get better and better. We go to win and we go to be the best we can be.

''From the time I was a youngster when my parents and minor hockey coaches guided me in the right direction; to the time I played Junior B hockey in Toronto; to Major A for Angelo Bambacco in Sault Ste. Marie; to John Bassett telling me when I was 17 years old, sorry 16 years old, that he wanted me to play in the WHA and he handed me a cheque and I grabbed it and my dad grabbed it and told me I was going back to high school; to getting to play professionally; to eventually ending up in Edmonton where I played with so many great players and championship teams, made so many great friends in that city; to going to LA with Bruce McNall bringing me there to be a part of an adventure to try and help build this wonderful game to new heights; to my times with Mike Keenan in St. Louis and then making a decision through Mr. (David) Checketts (president of Madison Square Garden) and (Rangers president and general manager) Neil Smith and the (James) Dolan family (president of Cablevision Systems Corp.) and Mr. (Marc) Lustgarten (chairman of the board, Madison Square Garden) to bring me to New York that was a wonderful experience and something I'll never forget.

''Everybody who I've run into and everyone that I've bumped into along the line that have meant so much to my career. The trainers that I've had I always knew I had to kind of get dressed and that everything was kind of taken care of; to the players and their wives who always enjoyed a great friendship and togetherness; to getting an opportunity to perform for the fans and trying to win each night and doing the best we can.

''As I said last night, I'm going to miss it tremendously. Glen (Sather) had me in Edmonton and pushed me very hard to be the player I became and then John (Muckler) came in and guided me to refine my tools and teach me to understand the concepts of the game itself and, of course, my father who, as every kid who is sitting over here, can say their father drives you to the games and takes you to those morning practices as we're doing now as parents.

''I would like to say it's been one of the greatest thrills of my life to play in this city the last three years and the fans to Neil and David and the ownership here at Madison Square Garden, this is great place to be an athlete. I encourage everyone to get that opportunity one day. Of course John, as I said earlier, out of all the people I talked the two weeks that was the hardest conversation as he wanting me to come back and I wanted to come back, but in my heart I know I made the right decision.

''To the fans, thank you for all your support. To the media, from the Danny Gallivans to the Bob Coles to Sam and JD (John Davidson) and to the people who sell our game and love our sport and love covering our game, I appreciate all your help thanks for all the kind words. To all the people behind the scenes in organizations that take care of me, the PR directors people like Bill Tuele, Rick Minch and John Rosasco, the people that really handle my every day where it makes it easier for me to get on the ice and worry and think and play hockey.

''Of course, all the teammates I ever played with every guy in my career that played always had the same goal and that was to be a champion. That always made for a lot of fun. And, of course, (agent) Michael Barnett. He has been with me for 21 years and, as people know, he takes care of every little thing, not only for myself but for my family.

''We've got new adventures ahead of us and new horizons. The kids here, my daughter didn't want to come today because she was going to cry too much, so she's at home watching, And, of course, Janet, who believe me has really tried to make sure that I was sure that I was making the right decision. As every player knows, our wives go through a whole lot. They win with us, they lose with us and they want us to be successful, they want us to be happy. People say that when you leave the rink you leave the game at the rink and that's not true.

''We're human, we bring it home, we're highly emotional athletes. We're all lucky we have good people behind us and I know I have a great wife. She's there through thick and thin. I think we're both at peace of mind today. Today, I want to enjoy this and want to celebrate this. I just want to thank everyone who I ever played with and who was ever in an organization that I was part of, whether it be Team Canada Junior, or Team Canada, or the Olympic Team, I loved it.

''Thank you''.